A collaboration with YouTube Shorts to deliver responsible GenAI tools for mobile-first creators.
Brief
Mobile-first creators love spontaneity—but dread scripting and editing.
Result
We reimagined how generative AI could support their workflows without taking over their voice.
User Research | Surveys, User Interviews, Contextual Inquiries
Prototyping + Wireframing | Figma
Research Synthesis | Figjam, Google Sheets
Timeline | 6 months (Jan - July 2025)
Team | 3 designers, 1 researcher
Mentor | Ethelia Lung, Sr. Interaction Designer @Google
While most GenAI tools race to create for you, YouTube Shorts set out to challenge the norm—integrating AI not where it’s easiest, but where it could make a difference.
We built a modular system that works with creators, not around them; offering structure when they’re stuck, direction when they’re drifting, and momentum when they’re ready.
Our research revealed that creators weren't struggling with a lack of ideas, they had plenty. The real friction was in the messy middle: turning inspiration into something structured enough to film, with many of them calling this a 'blank canvas problem'.
Sandbox is designed to be a brainstorming tool that works however creators think best. They can start with a saved Short that caught their eye, or begin with nothing but a rough idea. Either way, Sandbox helps them talk through what they want to make and shapes it into something they can actually film.
Creators can either select a saved Short from their Collections or start fresh with a loose idea. They tell Sandbox what they liked about their inspiration or describe what's on their mind. Sandbox asks follow-up questions like, "What made that hook so good?" or "Who's your audience for this?", helping creators think through their concept.
As the conversation builds, Sandbox generates a customizable script outline that creators can edit, expand, or completely rewrite.
One-third of creators struggled with filming by themselves, having to manage the technicalities — like lighting, set up, and framing — while balancing being authentic and smooth on camera.
Creators shared how their filming process often involved multiple takes and ad hoc changes and improvisations as they went, which in turn exacerbated their editing times and efforts.
Stencil breaks your script into a shot-by-shot filming guide. It acts like a virtual director, telling you exactly what to capture for each part of your script.Brand Kit watches how you edit and remembers your choices. Fonts, colors, music, transitions—it learns what you like.
Take your script from Sandbox (or write your own) and Stencil turns it into specific shots. "Film yourself saying this line in close-up." "Get a wide shot of your setup." Simple directions that keep you moving instead of guessing.
Editing should be the most creatively fulfilling part where creators make their content uniquely theirs.
But our research revealed something unexpected: creators felt drained by editing, not energized. The culprit wasn't the creative decisions themselves, but recreating the same stylistic choices over and over. They'd already figured out their signature look, but had to manually rebuild it every single time.
Brand Kit learns your signature style from your past Shorts: your go-to fonts, color palettes, pacing, music choices. Instead of taking over creative decisions, it remembers the stylistic choices you've already made and suggests them when you're editing. You still control every decision, but without the repetitive hunting and clicking through the same options every time.
Brand Kit watches how you edit and remembers your choices. Fonts, colors, music, transitions—it learns what you like.
When you're making your next Short, it suggests your usual picks instead of making you hunt through everything. You can use the suggestions or ignore them. Either way, Brand Kit gets better at knowing your style.
Working with YouTube meant starting from zero in a space we'd never designed for. We spent weeks learning the platform, talking with our sponsor Ethelia Lung and the YouTube team to understand their unique position in content creation.
We interviewed creators across different platforms to really get their motivations and frustrations. From there, it was all hands on deck — research, ideation, brainstorming sessions, design, prototyping, motion work, and plenty of advocating for our ideas.
If you are curious about the project, shoot me an email or text me on LinkedIn.